Prison Exhale
by BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: Post-Spotlight. Unrequited GlitchMo, MoCoy. Glitch tries to burn off some steam but finds himself right back where he started-in a pile of deep, dark thoughts. Luckily, he's rescued by everyone's Friendly Neighborhood Bodie. Oneshot.
_Setting: After Dance Central Spotlight. Private dance floor inside a local gym. Glitch reflects on events occurring over the course of Dance Central-particularly his now rough friendship (and one-sided love) with Mo. Someone rescues him from his dark thoughts._

 _Ships: (unrequited?) Glitch/Mo, MoCoy. Budding BoGlitch or BoGlitch friendship-whichever one you choose.  
_

* * *

How long had it been? Six years? If not longer than that. Glitch had lost track of time.

It was hard to keep track of anything, really, other than the beats slipping through his fingers. He exhaled, cold splashes relieving him of yet another finished routine, but tremendous pressure made his chest want to explode. The rhythm flowing through the room had disappeared, leaving him with only the beat of silence streaming from his laptop. Nothing was left, save for the agonizing pressure of his own thoughts.

It had been years. Years since Mo found him, took him in, gave him life, air, everything he needed to start over. Everything he needed to come up for air. The isolation, the not knowing of anything but fear-it all vanished that day, the day the sun crept out of its covers and stopped laughing at him. But it had also been years since Mo broke it off with that guy. Years since they last connected, last drew breath in the same room without one wanting to strangle the other. The tension between them remained tight, yet there Glitch was, just as lost and lonely as he was before Mo found him.

He cast his towel about his shoulders. Should he give another song a go? Nah-he had been at it for three hours, occupying a room he really had no love for. He was just occupying space to avoid time, reality, Mo-the whole nine yards. It had been far too long since Dance Central Spotlight's season had the curtains drawn on it, but not even that soothed the brewing volcano affecting not only him, but Mo, Aubrey, Taye, everyone else. DCI especially. Sure, Oblio was keeping an eye on things, but how much longer would Tan be kept restrained by the timestream?

Glitch hadn't known Tan long, but knew he was persistent enough to break out of any and all chains.

Was his mind ever quiet? Nah. It would probably explode if there weren't a million thoughts running through it, even if just a for a few seconds. Anything to keep him from thinking about Mo. Moliah Alisha Brea. 'Sweet Amber Princess', according to Kerith. Glitch had worked pretty damned hard to keep everything buried, hidden from Mo's view, but the more minutes slipped off the clock, the harder it became to even just breathe. Some days Glitch found it impossible to share the same room with him, let alone the same dance floor.

It was just too difficult. Time kept on passing but too many things kept regressing. And nothing ever made sense. Nothing. It just kept going backwards. Step by step. Memory by memory. Mo not paying attention to anything other than some-

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe, dammit.

"Hey in there. You all right?"

"Yeah," Glitch (halfheartedly) assured the one and only Bodie. Bodie, clad in his gym wear, had stepped into Glitch's (once) private dance room, also clad in the gentle concern Glitch had become familiar with. "Just finished a few new steps."

Emilia's long-time partner sighed. Glitch's response was just as cheap as a taco at Taco Bell. He knew. He may have been a gigantic kitty cat, warm and squishy and easily distracted by happy, cuddly things, but Bodie knew. The only thing Bodie didn't know was this: was the tension between Mo and Coy worse or on par with the tension between the Princess Liah and Glitch? "C'mon," the warm ball of fluff said, outstretching a hand towards the younger dancer.

"You've been at this a while now."

"You've been shootin' hoops fer a while now, B. Don't gimme that."

Glitch couldn't help but smile. Bodie, even still, hated it when anyone pushed back. An angry kitten he did not become, though. He was more like one that mewled in a corner, always striving to put smiles on everyone's faces. "C'mon, G," he whimpered, eyes on the dancefloor, still swept up in kitten embarrassment despite them having grown a few years since Dance Central 2.

"Let me get you out of here. Just wanna take your mind off things for a while. Please."

Glitch's smile broadened. While Mo was a billion miles away from everyone but Coy, Bodie was always right there, meowing. Clawing at him, letting him know he was always right there for cuddly comfort. And the way Bodie said 'please'? It was as if the Earth's future depended on Glitch saying yes.

"Sure. Let's book it."

Bodie's smile reminded Glitch that even though he'd eventually be reunited with the little, homeless street rat he was years ago, there would always be a warm, calming rhythm playing nearby.

And it wasn't Mo's.


End file.
